Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 12e (Robbins/Judge)
Chapter 10 Understanding Work Teams
1) Which of the following helps explain the current popularity of teams? Teams ________.
A) are easier to manage
B) better utilize employee talents
C) are less expensive
D) promote socialization and cohesion
E) increase the speed of decision making.
Answer: B
Explanation: B) As organizations have restructured themselves to compete more effectively and efficiently, they
have turned to teams as a better way to use employee talents.
2) Which of the following statements best defines a work group?
A) A work group's performance is generally greater than the sum of its inputs from individual members.
B) A work group interacts primarily to share information, rather than to engage in work that requires joint effort.
C) A work group consists of 5 or more people who work collaboratively.
D) A work group has a positive synergy and no active group dynamics, resulting in greater outputs.
E) A work group is a group comprised of 10 or more people who belong to the same department.
Answer: B
Explanation: B) A group consists of two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come
together to achieve particular objectives. A work group is defined as a group that interacts primarily to share
information and to make decisions to help each group member perform within his or her area of responsibility. They
have no need or opportunity to engage in collective work that requires joint effort. Their performance is merely the
summation of each group member's individual contribution. There is no positive synergy that would create an
overall level of performance greater than the sum of the inputs. With both work groups and work teams, there are
often behavioral expectations of members, collective normalization efforts, active group dynamics, and some level
of decision-making (even if just informally about the scope of membership).
3) Which of the following statements is true regarding a work team?
A) Today, work teams are rarely used in organizations.
B) Work teams are less flexible than traditional departments.
C) Work teams generate positive synergy through coordinated effort.
D) Work teams are less responsive to changing events than are traditional departments.
E) Work teams impede employee participation in decision making.
Answer: C
Explanation: C) Today most of the organizations use teams. Teams are more flexible and responsive to changing
events than traditional departments or other forms of permanent groupings. A work team generates positive synergy
through coordinated effort. Teams facilitate employee participation in operating decisions.
4) ________ results in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputs.
A) Synergy
B) Positive affect
C) Emotional labor
D) Cognitive dissonance
E) Emotional dissonance
Answer: A
Explanation: A) A work team generates positive synergy through coordinated effort. The individual efforts result in
a level of performance greater than the sum of those individual inputs.
5) Which of the following statements is true regarding a work group?
A) Individuals working in a work group, work on different objectives and are not dependent on each other.
B) Work groups primarily engage in collective work that requires joint effort.
C) Work groups do not generate any positive synergy through coordinated effort.
D) Information sharing is not the primary function of a work group.
E) The performance level of the work group is greater than the summation of each group member's individual
contribution.
Answer: C
, Explanation: C) A work group consists of two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come
together to achieve particular objectives. The primary function of a work group is sharing information. Work groups
have no need or opportunity to engage in collective work that requires joint effort. So their performance is merely
the summation of each group member's individual contribution. There is no positive synergy that would create an
overall level of performance greater than the sum of the inputs.
6) Which of the following is not a difference between work groups and work teams? Work groups ________, and
work teams ________.
A) have neutral synergy; have positive synergy
B) rely on independent accountability; rely on mutual and independent accountability
C) require joint efforts; are the summation of the individual contribution
D) have random and varied skills; have complementary skills
E) share information; rely on collective performance
Answer: C
Explanation: C) Work groups have no need or opportunity to engage in collective work that requires joint effort.
Work group performance is merely the summation of each group member's individual contribution making C) the
false answer. All other answer choices accurately describe the difference between work groups and work teams.
7) A team consists of employees from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of
improving the work environment but they do not have the authority to unilaterally implement any of their
suggestions. This is most likely to be a ________ team.
A) cross-functional
B) virtual
C) self-managed
D) problem-solving
E) task
Answer: D
Explanation: D) In a problem-solving team, members share ideas or suggest how work processes and methods can
be improved; they rarely have the authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggestions.
8) Self-managed teams typically consist of ________ employees.
A) two to four
B) four to eight
C) ten to fifteen
D) twenty to thirty
E) forty to fifty
Answer: C
Explanation: C) Self-managed teams typically consist of ten to fifteen employees.
9) Which of the following types of teams is most likely to be assembled to improve the efficiency of a company's
production process?
A) cross-functional
B) problem-solving
C) self-managed
D) critical
E) task
Answer: B
Explanation: B) Problem-solving teams share ideas or suggest how work processes and methods (such as quality,
efficiency, and the work environment), can be improved. They rarely have the authority to unilaterally implement
any of their suggestions.
10) ________ teams are groups of employees who perform highly related or interdependent jobs and take on many
of the responsibilities of their former supervisors.
A) Critical
B) Self-managed work
C) Cross-functional
D) Problem-solving
E) Task
Chapter 10 Understanding Work Teams
1) Which of the following helps explain the current popularity of teams? Teams ________.
A) are easier to manage
B) better utilize employee talents
C) are less expensive
D) promote socialization and cohesion
E) increase the speed of decision making.
Answer: B
Explanation: B) As organizations have restructured themselves to compete more effectively and efficiently, they
have turned to teams as a better way to use employee talents.
2) Which of the following statements best defines a work group?
A) A work group's performance is generally greater than the sum of its inputs from individual members.
B) A work group interacts primarily to share information, rather than to engage in work that requires joint effort.
C) A work group consists of 5 or more people who work collaboratively.
D) A work group has a positive synergy and no active group dynamics, resulting in greater outputs.
E) A work group is a group comprised of 10 or more people who belong to the same department.
Answer: B
Explanation: B) A group consists of two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come
together to achieve particular objectives. A work group is defined as a group that interacts primarily to share
information and to make decisions to help each group member perform within his or her area of responsibility. They
have no need or opportunity to engage in collective work that requires joint effort. Their performance is merely the
summation of each group member's individual contribution. There is no positive synergy that would create an
overall level of performance greater than the sum of the inputs. With both work groups and work teams, there are
often behavioral expectations of members, collective normalization efforts, active group dynamics, and some level
of decision-making (even if just informally about the scope of membership).
3) Which of the following statements is true regarding a work team?
A) Today, work teams are rarely used in organizations.
B) Work teams are less flexible than traditional departments.
C) Work teams generate positive synergy through coordinated effort.
D) Work teams are less responsive to changing events than are traditional departments.
E) Work teams impede employee participation in decision making.
Answer: C
Explanation: C) Today most of the organizations use teams. Teams are more flexible and responsive to changing
events than traditional departments or other forms of permanent groupings. A work team generates positive synergy
through coordinated effort. Teams facilitate employee participation in operating decisions.
4) ________ results in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputs.
A) Synergy
B) Positive affect
C) Emotional labor
D) Cognitive dissonance
E) Emotional dissonance
Answer: A
Explanation: A) A work team generates positive synergy through coordinated effort. The individual efforts result in
a level of performance greater than the sum of those individual inputs.
5) Which of the following statements is true regarding a work group?
A) Individuals working in a work group, work on different objectives and are not dependent on each other.
B) Work groups primarily engage in collective work that requires joint effort.
C) Work groups do not generate any positive synergy through coordinated effort.
D) Information sharing is not the primary function of a work group.
E) The performance level of the work group is greater than the summation of each group member's individual
contribution.
Answer: C
, Explanation: C) A work group consists of two or more individuals, interacting and interdependent, who have come
together to achieve particular objectives. The primary function of a work group is sharing information. Work groups
have no need or opportunity to engage in collective work that requires joint effort. So their performance is merely
the summation of each group member's individual contribution. There is no positive synergy that would create an
overall level of performance greater than the sum of the inputs.
6) Which of the following is not a difference between work groups and work teams? Work groups ________, and
work teams ________.
A) have neutral synergy; have positive synergy
B) rely on independent accountability; rely on mutual and independent accountability
C) require joint efforts; are the summation of the individual contribution
D) have random and varied skills; have complementary skills
E) share information; rely on collective performance
Answer: C
Explanation: C) Work groups have no need or opportunity to engage in collective work that requires joint effort.
Work group performance is merely the summation of each group member's individual contribution making C) the
false answer. All other answer choices accurately describe the difference between work groups and work teams.
7) A team consists of employees from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of
improving the work environment but they do not have the authority to unilaterally implement any of their
suggestions. This is most likely to be a ________ team.
A) cross-functional
B) virtual
C) self-managed
D) problem-solving
E) task
Answer: D
Explanation: D) In a problem-solving team, members share ideas or suggest how work processes and methods can
be improved; they rarely have the authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggestions.
8) Self-managed teams typically consist of ________ employees.
A) two to four
B) four to eight
C) ten to fifteen
D) twenty to thirty
E) forty to fifty
Answer: C
Explanation: C) Self-managed teams typically consist of ten to fifteen employees.
9) Which of the following types of teams is most likely to be assembled to improve the efficiency of a company's
production process?
A) cross-functional
B) problem-solving
C) self-managed
D) critical
E) task
Answer: B
Explanation: B) Problem-solving teams share ideas or suggest how work processes and methods (such as quality,
efficiency, and the work environment), can be improved. They rarely have the authority to unilaterally implement
any of their suggestions.
10) ________ teams are groups of employees who perform highly related or interdependent jobs and take on many
of the responsibilities of their former supervisors.
A) Critical
B) Self-managed work
C) Cross-functional
D) Problem-solving
E) Task
